The Fun Doesn't Start Until Something Goes Wrong
A Travel Memoir
A bold, funny and reflective travel memoir about how travel changes us and makes the world feel bigger and more beautiful.
What This Book Is About
This book is a love letter to travel in all its messy, unpredictable glory. It’s about the missed connections, wrong turns, sketchy people and unexpected kindnesses that change everything.It’s not a guidebook. It’s not about perfect itineraries. It’s about saying yes to the unknown and discovering who you really are when your plans fall apart.
- Real stories, not travel fantasy
- Humor, risk, awe and reflection
- For readers who know the trip really begins when the plan falls apart
Selected Stories
His Old Lady’s Smile:
A desert sunset, burnt coyotes, and a truck stop offer you cannot unhear expose a parallel America you did not know existed.
The Boat Was Gone:
A cheap third world scuba tour turns into a fight for survival and ends with a brutal realization.
The Gift of Intuition:
From a rattlesnake hiss to a predator in a city park, the oldest part of your brain proves it can read danger before you can name it.
A Very Hot Summer:
In a Tokyo rush hour crush, anonymity turns predatory giving you a glimpse into the dark side of a polite society.
Buffalo Camp:
Rain turns a Montana prairie road into danger and strands you long just enough to save you from your plans.
Two Snickers to Moscow:
On the Trans-Siberian railroad, one shocking moment turns candy into currency and violence into a running joke.
About Dave
Dave Bratton is a travel writer and researcher who has spent decades studying why people travel—and what happens when they do.
He believes the most interesting moments don’t come from perfect plans, but from the ones that go sideways. This book is the story of those moments.
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